


Promises

by Alexandra (AlexandraGrace826)



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, M/M, Other, Tsundere Reader, i guess, preston burke's vows, shameless liberation, stealing Grey's Anatomy vows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:40:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25274041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexandraGrace826/pseuds/Alexandra
Summary: It's your wedding day. You're out of your scrubs and in clothes too fancy to wear again. In front of you is your coworker, your best friend, and the love of your life. You remember your fellow senior-resident heart surgeons telling you that workplace dating--even in different departments--never ends well. You remember telling yourself that, at least for you, non-surgical matters of the heart never end well. But now you're here. The friends that once doubted this relationship are sitting right there, gentle smiles on their faces and hands over their hearts. And the you whose eyes rolled at the thought of love now stands with love filling those very same eyes.
Relationships: Reader/Undisclosed
Kudos: 1





	Promises

Everyone says they will always remember every little detail, every little moment, and every little emotion on their wedding day. You will only remember the big pictures and the important moments, but you will remember every little emotion. And every big emotion and medium emotion and all the emotions in between. Maybe you'll forget the slight pinch in your clothes, the style of their hair, the sweatiness of your palms as you hold their hands, the jokes your friends will tell, the size of the dance floor, and the time everyone goes home. But you'll remember the anxiety, the amazement, the wanting to hide from all the stares, the lightness in your chest, the feeling of being the only two people in the world, and the indescribable joy.

Even though you wouldn't remember the exact words to the vows you worked on for months, everyone else certainly would.

_"I could promise to hold you and cherish you."_

When you met, you were on a bench near the entrance of the hospital waiting for a colleague. You were lost in thought and didn't notice the stranger until they sat next to you and wrapped an arm around you. You frowned, turned to face them, and leaned away from their arm. They dropped it and asked if you were okay. You told them you were fine, just lost in thought while you waited, thinking about your oral exams. They said they were worried about their's coming up, and you said it was fine. They didn't seem too happy with your answer. 

You'd barely left the hospital when you heard them calling after you. You had barely talked for ten minutes, and they wanted your name and number. Your friend only had to offer one look for you to nod and write down your details.

_"I could promise to be there in sickness and in health."_

It was supposed to be your fifth date. They were sick and had to cancel. 'You could still come over with a bowl of chicken noodle," they texted. They suggested just staying at home and watching a movie. They missed you.

'I'm not getting sick for a date. I've got patients.' No response. You wouldn't get sick for this, but both of your schedules were cleared anyway. You called them and ended up talking for hours.

_"I could say 'till death do us part."_

You were on your nightly phone call. They were telling you about this elderly couple that decided to renew their vows after 56 years of marriage. They wanted to change it from "'till death do us part" to "forever and always." They realized that if one of them died if wouldn't change the love between them. You listened to their dreams of the future. Then you changed the subject.

_"But I won't."_

You can feel a stillness and a focus fall over the crowd. This is not what you say to the person you're marrying.

_"Those vows are for optimistic couples, the ones full of hope."_

They squeeze your hands and you look up at their face. They quirk up an eyebrow, and one side of their lips turn upward. They're looking at you as if to say, "Where are you going with this, silly?"

You wink at them and continue, saying, _"And I do not stand here on my wedding day optimistic or full of hope."_

Some people cover their faces with flowers while others simply turn away. None do a good job at hiding their shock.

_"I am not optimistic, I am not hopeful."_

By now, the offense has settled in. Offense in honor of the person you promised forever to, offense for the families that held such expectation for their children's bright, happy futures, and offense on their own behalf for having been called here for a seemingly hoax wedding. There's even a bit of disgust sprinkled among the congregation.

_"I am sure,"_

That first night you met, your friend didn't give you a look of encouragement. Instead, their expression asked, "What is happening?" And you knew it was a person reaching out and telling you that they wanted to be a part of your life. Even if only for a few moments more, they wanted in. After all, you'd only talked for ten minutes.

_"I am steady,"_

The day they suggested you come over to take care of them while they were sick, you knew you couldn't risk your patients simply because you missed someone. But you also wouldn't abandon them. Your whole day would not be spent in boredom because plans changed. You'd remain consistent for your charges, for your friends, and for yourself.

_"And I know."_

You didn't need to ponder the what-ifs of the future. You didn't want to. you choose to stay in the present and think about certainties. This way, you can enjoy the people--especially this one special person--in front of you. If things go wrong, having worried about it means you suffered twice.

_"I am a heart person."_

In more ways than you thought you'd ever be.

_"I take them apart, I put them back together, I hold them in my hands."_

A surgeon, a student, a teacher.

_"I am a heart person."_

You think with your head and feel with your heart. While your head might fail you in memory and ignorance, your heart continues to burst with emotion. It's instinct, and it's been there since you were born.

_"So this I am sure: you are my partner, my lover, my very best friend."_

Everyone has recovered from their initial horror, but you're not paying attention to them. The only person that matters is standing right in front of you. They're playing with your fingers and tilting their head in a way that says "I adore you."

_"My heart-"_

You step closer and lace your fingers together, inhaling deeply and trying to commemorate this feeling of groundedness forever.

_"My heart beats for you."_

All the emotion and passion and sentiment you feel right now if focused solely on them. Nothing and no one else matters.

_"And on this day--the day of our wedding--I promise you this:"_

There's only one thing that you can give that has any meaning. Actually, it's already been given--today is simply the day that you tell them.

_"I promise you to lay my heart in the palm of your hands. I promise you me."_

**Author's Note:**

> The vows were absolutely stolen from Grey's Anatomy. The character Preston Burke was saying his vows during surgery before he finally gets married to Christine (they get divorced shortly after...). Everything else is mine!
> 
> I didn't base the characters off of anyone in the show (or anywhere else, for that matter). My mom used to watch the show, and this is the only thing I remember. They've stuck with me for a while because they were so unconventional in terms of what I thought romance and love is supposed to be like.
> 
> I hope this opened your mind as it did mine!


End file.
